With abortion decision approaching, U.S. Supreme Court erects barrier to public

Surrounded by a security barrier and without an audience since March 2020, the United States Supreme Court is about to issue, in the coming weeks, an important decision behind closed doors that could drastically reduce the right to abortion.

No one from the general public has been allowed to enter the courtroom since Covid-19 pandemic precautions were implemented in March 2020.

The courtroom scene became more tense after protests and threats against some of the nine judges prompted by the leak of a draft opinion in May indicating that they must overturn the Roe v. Wade of 1973 that legalized abortion across the country. The court has a conservative majority of 6 to 3.

The 2.4-meter-tall fence was erected in the days after the leak, as the court tightened security measures.

While the rest of Washington, including other government buildings like the White House and the Capitol, has reopened its doors to the public at least partially, the top US judicial body remains with a form of lockdown that appears to be a siege, even as it exerts enormous force. influence on public policies.

For Guido Reichstadter, an abortion rights protester who has camped outside the courthouse since early June, the fence is a sign of how far the judges — or at least the six conservatives — are from public sentiment.

“They are trying to insulate themselves from the effects of their actions. Why else would you put up a fence?” asked Reichstadter, who was arrested on June 6 for clinging to the fence and spent a night in prison.

Anti-abortion advocates are sympathetic to concerns about the judges’ safety, saying they also received threats after the leak.

“I would say the court is protecting itself, protecting its employees,” said Kristan Hawkins, president of the Students for Life group.